By 1944, over half of American adult women were employed outside the home, making invaluable contributions to the war effort. As women went about their duties, supervisors often worried about effectively assimilating them into the workforce. This publication from the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) awkwardly attempted to assist supervisors with managing their new female employees.

Text:

When you supervise a woman…

Make clear her part in the process or product on which she works.

Allow for her lack of familiarity with machine processes.

See that her working set-up is comfortable, safe and convenient.

Start her right by kindly and careful supervision.

Avoid horseplay or “kidding”; she may resent it.

Suggest rather than reprimand.

When she does a good job, tell her so.

Listen to and aid her in her work problems.

Text:

When you put a woman to work…

Have a job breakdown for her job.

Consider her education, work experience and temperament in assigning her to that job.

Have the necessary equipment, tools and supplies ready for her.

Try out her capacity for and familiarity with the work.

Assign her to a shift in accordance with health, home obligations and transportation arrangements.

Place her in a group of workers with similar backgrounds and interests.

Inform her fully on health and safety rules, company policies, company objectives.

Be sure she knows the location of rest-rooms, lunch facilities, dispensaries.

Interesting, by implication, the male workers had to put up with--or it as at least not a given that they would not have:

- Uncomfortable, unsafe, and inconvenient work spaces.- Unkind, careless supervision.- Horseplay.- Reprimands.- No encouragement.- No help with work problems.- Possibly no readily available tools, supplies, and equipment.- Shiftwork regardless of impact on health; constantly changing shifts with little or no notice.- 8+ hour work days and 48+ hour work weeks.- Dirty or no separate lunch area.- No clean, cool drinking water.- Dirty toilet and restrooms.- No breaks or rest periods during shifts.- Improperly adjusted seating; poor lighting and ventilation.- No lockers.- Hazardous work areas.